Case for keys and the like



Nov. 17 1 925 W. RLBUXTON CASE FOR KEYS AND THE LIKE Filed May 19, 1922E I mvzuron ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

UNITED- STATES 1,561,906 PATENT OFFICE.

WARNER R. BUXTON, F IJONGMEADOW, MASSACHUSETTS, 'ASSIGNOR TO BUXTON IN-GORPORATED. AUORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CASE FOR KEYS AND THE LIKE.

2; Application filed May 19,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VARNER R. Brx'roN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Longmeadow. in the county ofHampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new anduseful'Improvements in Cases for Keys and the like, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cases for keys and the likeand, more particularly, to cases of that type in which the key retainingmembers are pivotally connected to. the case for swinging movement intoand out of the latter along arc-like paths of substantially constantradius.

The invention has for one object to provide, in a key case of the typedescribed, an im roved form of key retaining member, WhlCh is designedto effectively retain the keys under all ordinary conditions of use andto minimize the possibility of accidental dislodgment of the keys.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved means formounting the key retaining members in the case for swinging movementand, if desired, for swivelling movement as well.

Another object of ,the invention is to provide in a key case, whereinthe key retaining members arev capable of both swinging and swivellingmovement, a mounting of such members inthe case in such a manner thatany one or more thereof may be quickly and conveniently removed from orassembled in the case when desired, and yet are effectively restrainedagainst accidental removal.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a key case aconveniently removable, one piece, pivoted, key retaining member whichis bent to form a key retaining loop and has the entrance to said loopso located as to beinaccessible for the insertion and removal of keysexcept when the member is removed from its pivotal connection.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following descriptionand in the il- .lustrative embodiment of the invention in theaccompanying drawings, in'which -s Figs. 1 and 2 are small scaleelevational views showing the key case in open and closed position,respectively;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary crosssectional View showingthe'improved key 1922. Serial No. 562,132.

retaining member and one manner of mounting it 1n the case;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary rear view ofthe ing member from its pivotalconnection;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the parts shown inFig. 3;

Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are enlarged side elevational, end elevational, andplan views, respectively, showing the upper portion of one of the'keyretaining members; Figs. 9 and 10 are side and front elevational views,respectively, showing another gieans for mounting the key retainingmemers;

Figs. 11 and 12 are cross-sectional and front elevational views,respectively, showingstill another way of mounting the key retainingmembers; and

Fig. 13 is a sectional plan viewtaken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 11.

Referring to these drawings, the case proper may be variouslyconstructed, as

desired, but, by preference, I employ the style of case shown in myprior U. S. Letters Patent 'No. 1,261,692 granted April 2, 1918. Thus,as shown in Fi s. 1 and 2, the case consists of a strip 0 suitableflexible material, such as leather or the like. The end portions 13 ofthis strip form flaps and are foldable along lines of fold 1a inoverlapping relation with the central portion 15, which forms the backof the case. The flaps 13 may be releasably secured together in anysuitable way, as by the interengageable male and female fasteners 16 and17 respectively. For the purpose of providing a convenient means forpivotally supporting the key retainin members from the back 15 of thecase an also for reenforcing the latter and restraining it againsttransverse bending, I prefer to permanently attach to back 15 near itsupper end, and in any suitable manner, as by eyelet rivets 18, a rigidplate 19, which is preferably of thin metal. ccording to one form of myinvention, the upper endof plate 19 is rolled over until the u per edgethereof abuts, or substantially a uts, the front face of the plate,thereby forming'a portion 20 of a mately hollow cylindrical form. n thisportion a series of longitudinally spaced proxian enlargement 22 forslots 21 are provided, each of which is dis posed in a planesubstantially at right angles to the axis of portion 20. These slots,which are preferably formed in the plate prior to the rolling up ofportion 20, extend" throughout the major portion of the circumference ofthis portion and may, but do not necessarily needto, extend entirely tothe edge of the late, as shown, for such edge abuts the ace of the plateand the ends of the slots are thereby closed. The other end of each slotis provided with the purpose of permitting the key retaining members, tobe later described, to be conveniently assembled in, or removed from,the hollow cylindrical support 20. The side walls of each slot 21',except for the portion 22 just described, are stantially so. Theopenings 22, b preference, are located in the rear wall of the per--tion 20 for'the reason that they are then covered and concealed by theback 15. Such arrangement minimizesthe chances of any key retainingmember escaping unintentionally from the support 20,. through theopening 22 and yet permits the intentional insertion or removal of suchmember in or from the opening for the back 15 is flexible and can bebent back to gain access to the opening.

The key retaining members may, according to some features of theinvention, be constructed in any suitable way so long as they afford asuitable key retaining loop and have means adapted for mounting in thesupport 20. These mounted in the latter as to swing about the axis ofthe portion into and out of the case along substantially constant,radius, and preferably, although not necessarily, each member is capableof swivelling move1nent,that

..is, turning about axes substantially at right angles to that of theportion 20.

By preference, however, I employ key retaining members of the type bestshown .any suitable way w in Figs. 6 and 7. Each of these members isformed from a single piece of suitable material, such as a thinrelatively narrow strip 23 .of spring metal, for example, which is bentbackwardly upon itself to form a key retaining loop 24 and so formedthat its side walls naturally tend to abut each other near the upper endof the loop, as at 25. The. two ends 26 of the strip 23 which aredisposedopposite one another, may be pivotally su ported in the case inhich will prevent access thereto. Preferably, the ends 26 are bentslightly awa from one another for the purpose of a ording an easyentrance 27 to loop 24. need be nothing more than a slight offset and asimilar offset is provided below the preferably parallel or submembersare so arc-like paths of constant, or-

The bending of these ends abutting portions 25 for the forming ufpperand lower shoulders 28 on opposite aces of the retaining member. Thestrip 23, as shown in Fig. 8, has a substantially semi-ellipticalcross-sectional shape and its sides are grooved as at 29, so as to formupper and lower shoulders 30. The latter are, spaced apart a distancesubstantially commensurate with the thickness of the walls of thehollow, cylindrical portion 20 and the portion 31 between the shouldersis preferably made cylindrical so that it will tate in the slots 21.

In assembling key retainingi'nembers in the case, the ends 26 thereofare inserted in an opening 22 until the grooves 29 come into line withthe wall of portion 20. The member is then swung, about the axis ofportion 20, to cause the grooves-29 to engage the side walls of slots21, and thereafter swung into the illustrated, osition. The keyretaining members may t en be swung into and out of the case about-theaxis of the ortion 20 or may turn or swivel about an axis at rightangles thereto.

It is not necessarily essential to the idea of a removable mounting of apivotal and swivelling hook in a key case to employ the openings 22.,Thus, for example, the arrangement shown in Figs. 9 and 10 may beemployed. In this section of the hollow cylindrical portion 20 do notabut plate 19, as above described, but are bent to form spring fingers33', which abut plate 19 at an intermediate location and then divergeaway from the plate ,to form a tapering entrance 34 between them and theplate. The key retaining members, constructed as above described, areassembled by first laying them flat againstv the front face of plate 19and in the location shown by dotted lines in Fi l0 and pushing themvertically upwards, two ends 26 to enter the entrances 34 between thetwo adjacent fingers 33 and plate19 and causing those fingers to yieldawa purpose of freely fit and turn and rocase, the ends ofeach causingthe. i

from theplate until the said ends are recelved in the interior of ortion20. The members are then engaged with the side walls of slots 21 in themanner above described and are capable of swinging and swivelling in alike fashion.

When the general arrangement, shown in Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive isemployed, the openings 22 need not necessarily e located ex.- actly asthere shown, although such location is preferred for the reasonsabovestated.

(Fig. 13) are made in slots 21 in this steep portion 36 so that the keyretaining members when held flat against plate 19 may be at the lowerpart of portion 20. The-slide way makes it very difficult for a keyretaining member to accidentally reach the enlargements 37 and becomedissociated with its support 20.

A feature of particular importance consists in the type of key retainingmember above described, although, as to this feature, the particulardetails of construction, which have been described as used forconnecting vthe members to the support, are not necessarily essentialand may be varied as desired. The important point is that the entranceto the key retaining. loop is'not accessible for v the insertion andremoval of keys except when the key retaining member is removed and thisfeature is importantas effectively guarding against accidentaldi'slodgment of the keys from their retaining members under all usualconditions of key case operation.

The invention has been disclosed herein, in an embodiment at presentpreferred, for illustrative purposes, but the scope of the invention isdefined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

What I claim is: 1. A key case, comprising, a case forming member offlexible material, a rigid supporting member secured thereto, a rigidkey retaining member having near one end a pivotal connection with saidsupporting member permitting swinging movement of the key retainingmember into and out of the case and permitting rotative movement of saidkey retaining member about an axis substantially at right angles to'thatof the swinging movement, and means provided on said supporting memberto permit removal of the key retaining member, when desired withoutdeformation of said supporting member.

2. A key case, comprising, a case forming member of flexible material, arigid supporting member secured thereto, a key retaining member bent toform a key retaining loop with a single entrance thereto providedbetween the ends ofthe member, both said ends being pivotally engagedwith said supporting member permitting swinging movement of the keyretaining member into and out of the case and permitting rotativemovement of said key, retaining member about an axis substantially atright angles to that of the swinging movement, and means provided on.said supporting member to permit removal of the key retaining memberwhen desired.

3. The combination witha key case, of a supporting member of hollowsubstantially cylindrical form secured thereto and provided with asubstantially transverse slot, a key retaining member having near oneend a part received in said slot and shoulders above and below said partslid-ably and turnably engaged with the innerand outer walls of thesupporting member adjacent said slot, said slidable and turnablengagement with said walls constituting the pivotal and swivellingconnection with said supporting member and the means for limiting bothinward and outward radial movement of said key retaining member.

4. The combination with a key case, of a supporting member of hollowsubstantially cylindrical form secured thereto and provided with aplurality of substantially transverse slots, a plurality of keyretaining members each having near one end a part to slide and turn inone of said slots and shoulders above and below said part to engage theinner and outer walls of said supporting member adjacent said slots,whereby each retaining member is free to swing about the axis of thesupporting member and turn about an axis at substantially right anglesthereto, and an enlargement provided in each slot at one point to permitthe upper shoulder of the key retaining member to pass into and out ofthe interior of said supporting member.

5. A key case, comprising, a case forming member of flexible material, asupporting member of hollow substantially cylindrical form securedthereto near one edge thereof, said member provided with a plurality ofsubstantially transverse slots, a plurality of key retaining memberseach having near one. end a part to slide in one of said slots andshoulders above, and below said part to engage the inner and outer wallsof said supporting-member adjacent said slots, whereby each retainingmember is free to swing about the axis of the supporting member, and anenlargement provided in each slot to permit the upper shoulder of aretaining member to pass into and out of the interior of said supportingmember, the enlargement in the slot being so located as to be normallycovered by and concealed by a portion of the case forming member.

6. The combination with a key case, of a supporting member ofhollow'substantially cylindrical form secured thereto and provided witha plurality of substantially transverse slots, a plurality of keyretaining members each having near one end a part to slide in one ofsaid slots and shoulders above and below said'parts to engage the innerand outerwalls of said supporting member adjacent said slots, wherebyeach retaining member is free to swing about the axis of the supportingmember, and an enlargement provided in each slot at one point to permitthe upper shoulder of the key retaining member to pass into and out ofthe interior of said supporting member.

7. A key case, comprising, a case forming member of flexible material, arigid supporting member secured thereto, a member formed to provide akey retaining loop with a single entrance thereto provided near one endthereof and having near suchend, a pivotal connection with saidsupporting member permitting swinging movement of the key retainingmember into and out of the case, and means provided on said supportingmember to permit removal of the key retaining member, when desired, saidentrance being inaccessible for insertion or signature.

removal of keys in said loop except when removed from said supportingmember.

' 8. A key holding device which includes a plate having a slot thereinadjacent one edge and an enlarged portion at one end of said slot, theportion of the plate adjacent said edge beingv bent around so that theadapted to be against the folder to substantially close the slot,whereby the element supporting the keys can move and rotate in the slotbut is prevented from bein; removed therefrom.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my WARNER R. BUX'roNT

